It's been a long and winding road, but Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders will make his first NFL start on Sunday afternoon vs. the Raiders.
Sanders's golden opportunity arrives as QB1 Dillon Gabriel recovers from a concussion suffered during Week 11's game vs. the Jets. The fellow 2025 draftee entered Sunday's loss in Gabriel's stead, when he threw for 47 yards and one interception.
Given his last name and his unprecedented fall in the 2025 draft, Sanders has drawn rabid intrigue so far this season. Head coach Kevin Stefanski fields questions about the former Colorado quarterback at every other press conference, it feels like, and this weekend's will be no different, regardless of how Sanders plays.
So, as a pre-game refresher, let's take a look at how the 23-year-old Shedeur went from pick No. 144 of the NFL draft to Week 12 starter over the span of a few months:
After lots of waiting, the Browns finally took Sanders with the 144th pick of the 2025 NFL draft. The ex-Colorado Buffalo had fallen in draft projections heading into the big day, but most, if not all, mocks still had him going in the first round; he ended up in the fifth.
The Browns also picked Gabriel out of Oregon with the 94th pick. With that, both selections joined a crowded quarterback room featuring the likes of AFC North mainstay Kenny Pickett, league vet Joe Flacco and an injured Deshaun Watson, setting off a QB competition in Cleveland.
The Browns released their first unofficial depth chart of the preseason after their final training camp practice at the start of August. Sanders was listed at the bottom, behind Flacco at No. 1, Pickett at No. 2 and Gabriel at No. 3.
Despite his place on the depth chart, Sanders earned the chance to start for the Browns' preseason opener vs. the Panthers due to injuries to Pickett and Gabriel.
It was a huge success on all accounts—the Browns won 30-10, Sanders threw for 138 yards and two touchdowns, and the appearance drew the best preseason ratings in a decade.
In Week 2 of the preseason, it was Gabriel's turn to start under center as Sanders recovered from an oblique strain he suffered during practice a few days prior.
The former Ducks QB had an up-and-down outing vs. the Eagles that Saturday, completing 13 of 18 passes for 143 yards and one interception. Sanders showcased a better performance the week before, but it wasn't like Gabriel did terribly, either.
In an unsurprising decision, the Browns opted to name Flacco the starter for Week 1 of the 2025 season. It made a lot of sense; Flacco had previously played for the Browns and had mountains more experience than anyone else at the position. For a team in desperate need of stability and direction, it seemed to be the right move.
In more great news for Sanders's NFL prospects, the Browns traded Pickett to the Raiders at the time of roster cutdowns. That left Flacco, Gabriel and Sanders to fill out Cleveland's QB room, alongside the injured Watson.
Shortly after that, Stefanski revealed that Gabriel would be Flacco's backup, meaning Sanders would be the third-stringer.
Following a 1-3 start with Flacco under center, Gabriel was named the starter for Week 5's game vs. the Vikings. At the time of his demotion, the 40-year-old Flacco had completed just 58.1% of his passes for 815 yards, two touchdowns, and six interceptions. His 60.3 passer rating ranked last among qualifying NFL quarterbacks.
Flacco, not Sanders, was listed as Gabriel's backup.
In a huge surprise, the Browns ended up trading Flacco to the quarterback-needy Bengals roughly five weeks into the season. Cincinnati had lost star Joe Burrow to a turf toe injury, and backup Jake Browning had struggled mightily in relief. The move gave both Flacco and the Bengals a fresh start, while the Browns received some draft capital in return.
It was also more good news for Sanders, who then moved to QB2 behind Gabriel.
The Browns' mostly abysmal season continued following the Flacco trade. And though we still heard from Sanders here and there, we didn't see him on the field until Week 11's game vs. the Ravens, when he took over after Gabriel exited with a concussion.
He did not play well, completing just four passes off 16 attempts for 47 yards and one interception. The Browns lost 23-16.
With Gabriel still working through concussion protocol, Stefanski confirmed Wednesday of this week that Sanders would make his first NFL start vs. the Raiders in Week 12. It's a huge opportunity for the young backup; should he inject some life into a struggling offense, perhaps he could even usurp his fellow rookie as QB1.
It's a favorable matchup for Sanders, considering the Raiders are struggling mightily at the moment. That could also make it look worse should the Browns lose ... or it could be the very shot Sanders needs.
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